


It Started With Barrels

by cannibaljoke



Series: Of Magic and Peaky Blinders [2]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Peaky Blinders (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Gen, alternate title is alfie solomons and tommy shelby's strange barrels, basically the au where the shelbys are magical, story features many barrels, why? who knows
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-08
Updated: 2017-01-08
Packaged: 2018-09-15 19:25:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 859
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9252389
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cannibaljoke/pseuds/cannibaljoke
Summary: "Later, when Alfie has acquired more acquaintances from Birmingham, people who have known Tommy for longer than Alfie has, Alfie realises that there are other kinds of stories about Tommy Shelby. The strange kind of stories that mention magic and witchcraft."In other words, the half-assed beginning of the AU, where the Shelbys are more dangerous and Tommy does business with dark witches and wizards.





	

**Author's Note:**

> I sincerely apologise for any spelling and grammatical errors, because I have not proofread this. 
> 
> I also apologise if this is utter crap, I mostly wrote this for myself.

There are stories about Tommy Shelby, but Alfie knew that from the beginning. Tommy is the leader of Peaky fuckin’ Blinders after all, there were bound to be stories. So, it is not the existence of stories that seems strange to Alfie, no it was the content of some of those stories. 

There are stories of Tommy shooting Billy Kimber, there are stories of Tommy giving someone a bloody smile with his hat, and then there are the other kind of stories. The ones that do not make sense and Alfie chalks up to Tommy’s gypsy heritage at first. 

Only at first though. 

When Alfie Solomons first meets Tommy Shelby, he is not sure if Tommy was brave or stupid, or perhaps both. Later, Alfie realises that describing Tommy Shelby with simple words like “brave” or “stupid” would be an oversimplification of who (what?) Tommy is. 

When Alfie Solomons first meets Tommy Shelby, he has only heard stories of Tommy having no problem betraying his partners and of Tommy being a good leader. Later, when Alfie has acquired more acquaintances from Birmingham, people who have known Tommy for longer than Alfie has, Alfie realises that there are other kinds of stories about Tommy Shelby. The strange kind of stories that mention magic and witchcraft.

 

“Mr Solomons,” Tommy says one night, eying an empty spot between some barrels of Alfie’s finest bread. “I’d like to store a barrel or two here for a few days, if you don’t mind.”

Alfie trusts Tommy, but he does not trust Tommy, so he askes: “Right, what for?”

“A relative of mine, who lives in London. It’s a wedding gift. Gypsy stuff, some superstition or something, Polly insisted.” 

Looking back, perhaps Alfie should have realised that “gypsy stuff” was just Tommy’s way of making sure Alfie does not ask anything, because he wants nothing to do with superstitions or gypsies. Alas, Alfie had been a fool and agreed. 

 

From there on, Tommy starts permanently storing barrels of… well, something in Alfie’s bakery. At first, he gives excuses that all seem to have three words in common, “just gypsy stuff”. Later, when Alfie trusts Tommy a bit more (and when none of the barrels had exploded, because that had been an actual fear of Alfie’s), he lets Tommy store his barrels without explanations. 

At one point, however, Alfie realises that he has never seen any of the barrels leave his bakery. He has seen people carry Tommy’s barrels in, but he has never seen anyone carry them out, they just disappear a few days. When asked, Tommy just shrugs and says that Alfie must have been so absorbed in his work that he did not notice when Tommy came around to fetch the barrels.

Next time it seems that Tommy takes great care to make sure Alfie notices when he and some strange men (gentlemen, Alfie would call them, were in his bakery and with Tommy Shelby) come to take the barrels away. 

“I don’t see why you must keep them here, with all these muggles,” one of the men complains and Alfie, well, he is just more confused than before. 

Tommy dismisses the complaints with a sharp look as he brings his cigarette to his lips and asks: “Do you not want it? Because I can find another buyer.” 

“Who? Who else would want this much of the Draught of Living Death?” 

Alfie sees Tommy smirk, he always does that when someone asks a stupid question and gives Tommy the opportunity to say something witty, but whatever Tommy says, Alfie does not hear. Alfie does, however, see the men pale and hurry to get the barrel out of the bakery, because of whatever Tommy said.

“Who the fuck were they?” Alfie asks, watching Tommy from the door of his office.

“Buyers.” 

“Right, the fuck did they buy from you?” 

Tommy shrugs. “The usual.” 

“Which is what?” 

“If you don’t want me to store things in your bakery, just tell me so.” 

That is not what Alfie’s problem is and Tommy obviously knows that. And so, that conversation is over and Tommy continues selling strange barrels of strange things to strange people. 

 

Sometimes the barrels smell, if stored in the bakery for longer than four days, Alfie discovers. Occasionally a barrel Tommy brought smells of all things divine and homey. Other times, the barrels smell of something terrible, something like death and pain and all the horrors of war. 

Alfie asks about it. Tommy raises an eyebrow, shakes his head, and tells Alfie to cut down on drinking.

 

There are stories about Tommy Shelby and sometimes, when he is very drunk, Alfie Solomons contributes to them. He tells all who will listen over his fourth (perhaps actually fifth or sixth, but that does not matter) glass of whiskey about Tommy Shelby and his peculiar barrels filled with strange things not of this world. No one believes him though and those who do believe Alfie say nothing, because it is best not to mess with the Peaky Blinders. It is best not to mess with Tommy Shelby, especially if his barrels are sometimes filled with death.


End file.
